I woke up with the sniffles this morning and the first thing I did when I got up was take some Zicam. Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel as it is officially called, has been a staple in my medicine cabinet for the last few years. It claims the following:
* Reduce the severity and duration of cold symptoms when taken at the first sign of a cold
* Clinically proven
* Treats the cold at its source – in the nose
* Patented No-Drip Liquid® won’t drip down throat
* No odor or bad taste
* Non-drowsy, non-habit forming, no known drug interactions
* Homeopathic
Ingredients
Active ingredient: Zincum Gluconicum 2x
Inactive ingredients: Benzalkonium chloride, glycerin, hydroxyethylcellulose, purified water, sodium chloride, sodium hydroxide
Does Zicam Work?
I am always skeptical about homeopathic remedies, but this one really seems to work. According to the Zicam website Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel acts at the source – the nasal cavity. The nasal cavity is the main site of the cold virus’ entry into the body. Also on Medscape.com, an independent clinical study found patients taking Zicam got over their colds 78% faster than patients taking the placebo. It has shortened the duration and severity of my colds when I take it and I can tell a difference when I don’t take it. It has been a lifesaver. My favorite Zicam product is the nasal gel, you get the most bang for your buck and it is easy to use. You just squirt it on the inside of each nostril, let it sit for 30 seconds and go on your merry way. Do this every 4 hours for the first 48 hours after your first symptoms and the cold should either go away or be less severe and shortened.
Other Zicam Products
Zicam has several other products such as Zicam Cold Remedy Adult Swabs
, Zicam Cold Remedy Chewables
and Zicam Healthy Z-ssentials Rapid Melts Tablets, Orange Flavor
but my favorite remains the Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel. As far as the chews and the tablets, I think they leave a bit of a funny taste in my mouth but if someone is adverse to the nasal gel, it is a good alternative. The swabs are also quick and easy to use but you get less product for the same amount of money. Instead of the swabs, use a Q-Tip and squirt a bit of the gel on the tip for the same effect to maximize the value.
I would highly recommend trying Zicam the next time you feel a case of the sniffles coming on and see if it works for you.
I heard a story on NPR the other day about McKay Hatch, a 15 year old kid in South Pasadena, California, who started a club called the No Cussing Club. Apparently, he got sick of hearing his peers swear with every other word and asked them to stop. He thought he would be ostracized but to his surprise, his friends agreed. He then decided to start the No Cussing Club and started out with 50 charter members. This may seem pretty out of the ordinary for a teenager, but he is being raised by parents who wrote Raising a G-Rated Family in an X-Rated World
.
Hatch started a website and now has 30,000 members worldwide. However, success hasn’t been without its drawbacks. Hatch has had everything from $2,000 in pizza delivered to his house as a prank, to outright death threats to deal with. It is very interesting how irate people get against someone who just wants to encourage people not to swear! It isn’t something that is being forced on people, they sign up voluntarily. One would think these people would have something better to do with that negative energy. While the threats are disturbing, Hatch and his family are undeterred and he is now working on a book.
I say kudos to McKay Hatch and I hope he keeps it up, it’s refreshing to see a teenager going against the grain and standing up for what he believes.
I ran across a Stanford commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, Inc. It was an excellent speech, but one thing that struck me is the quote “Live each day like it’s your last”. Now I know what the gist of the quote is supposed to mean, but is it realistic to live each day like it is your last? If I was truly going to live each day like it was my last, I would eat rich foods and lots of desserts every day, never workout and I wouldn’t go to work just to name a few things.
Of course the sentiment of the quote is that we should value the time we have here on this earth and I certainly agree with that. I believe we should make sure the people close to us know that we love them, we shouldn’t hold grudges and we should generally try to live well. Perhaps as a Christian I have a bit of a different perspective on this than some people since I know that the best is yet to come after I die. I think I prefer to use carpe diem or seize the day as my mantra as opposed to living each day like it’s my last. I feel like too many times, I just trudge through my life day by day doing the same things over and over. I want to seize the day and do something different and interesting every day. This can prove difficult when life lends itself to routine and as humans, we thrive on routine.
Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Do something every day that scares you.” I think that is an excellent way to think about it. I am interested in hearing what other people think and how you keep life from becoming a mundane routine.
There has been quite a bit of speculation over the last couple of months as to whether or not President Obama would be able to keep his Blackberry. It now appears that he has won the battle and will be able to keep his Blackberry. As a smartphone addict myself, I can sympathize. I can’t imagine going anywhere without my Treo 755p. According this article, it is not clear as to whether he is actually getting a Blackberry or a more secure device from Spectera Edge. Although I am not a big fan of many Obama’s policies, I am definitely interested in seeing where he takes America in the technology department.
I have been toying with the idea of creating a blog for quite some time and finally decided to just do it. Kind of like the old Nike slogan. I went back and forth on what exactly I should put on my blog. I could blog about WordPress tips, concentrate on health and wellness, post vacation reviews or any number of things, but I decided to just blog about what interests me and throw caution to the wind. Since I am interested in researching many different things, hopefully people will get some use out of this blog. So here goes… I am now entering the blogosphere. (insert Twilight Zone music here) Stay tuned…
